I recently came across a workshop presentation I gave many, many years ago on the “Top Ten Things to Do to Sell Your First Novel.” It was interesting to see what I thought were the keys to publishing success back then:
1) Finish your book.
This seems obvious, but I still encounter writers who get bogged down in research or distracted by other projects and fail to do this very basic thing.
2) Begin your book in the right place.
I know from judging contest entries that this is still a big problem for new writers. They want to explain too much or spend too much time developing the mood and providing backstory. They forget the key is to start the book when something is happening that’s going to change the characters’ lives.
3) Write what you believe in.
I advised writers to forget market trends and write the story they felt passionate about. I still think this is good advice for beginning writers. When you’re starting out, your best work is always going to be what you love writing. But later, being practical is not always wrong.
4) Write something different.
I’m not sure about this tip anymore. I think this only works if something different is your passion (#3).
5) Develop your own voice as an author.
Voice is a subtle mixture of viewpoint, tone, style, and the mechanics of writing, and not something you can always consciously control. But I added that one of the ways to develop your voice was to “write, write, write.” Can’t argue with that.
6) Read.
I still believe you can only learn so much about writing from workshops, classes, and how-to books. To really develop as a fiction writer, you have to immerse yourself in books and absorb the rhythms of language and the patterns of stories.
7) Join a critique group.
I’ve had mixed success with critique groups. I was fortunate that the early ones I was part of were great: supportive, incisive, and truly helpful. Later on, I had bad experiences. So I would amend this advice to “Find a critique group that helps you.”
8) Learn to produce.
What I was trying to get across was that you can’t just write one or two books and sit back and expect to have a career. This is even more true now. But over the years, I’ve also learned there are limits to productivity for every writer based on their personal circumstances.
9) Make your own luck.
I discussed the importance of being ready when your chance comes. That you have to put yourself in a position for good things to happen: connect with the writing and publishing world, be positive, and make certain your work is the best it can be.
10) Never give up.
You can’t argue with this advice. I’ve known good writers who wrote for 20 years before they were published. Others ended up taking their destiny into their own hands and indie publishing their work. Writers now have more power than they ever did in getting their work out into the world. But beyond that, it gets more challenging. I’ve known people who did everything right, in terms of promotion and marketing, who still experienced disappointing sales. No matter what anyone says, there is no surefire recipe for publishing success. But writing success? That’s still under your control.
Great advice, thanks
That’s still a great top ten, Mary. The hardest one for me is learning to produce. After all these years, I still write in spurts when I feel like it and dawdle doing other stuff when I don’t feel like it. I guess that’s one of the benefits of writing as a retirement activity without the need to make enough money for food and shelter.
It’s nice when you can relax and take it at your own pace. On the other hand, I think without some sort of pressure we aren’t nearly productive. Different realities for different ages.
These top 10 are still vital to an author, Mary. The industry has seen many changes, but these core basics are important. The only extra bit of advice would be to “know your market” of readers, especially within your genre. Use social media to your advantage. Of course, it’s not always about your stories. Readers love to know about the person behind the author.
Number 10 is important to me. I’ve experienced some bad situations over the past five years of becoming a published author. Yet, I never gave up. I believed in my stories and my dreams.
This list in this post is from probably twenty years ago. At that time there was no social media and there were only a handful of genres. Ah, for the good old days! Yes, I think persistence and sheer stubbornness can be a really good thing. As an artist you have to be determined to have your art find a place in the world.
All fabulous advice. Very applicable today and tomorrow. 🙂
I was surprised how little has changed. I wrote that list probably twenty years ago. Making me feel a bit like a dinosaur! Thank you.
I agree with all of these. Nice concise article.
Thanks. When I was writing my original list there were multiple people presenting so I had to get my points across in kind of a rapid-fire way. So that helped narrow things down to the main points. I’m afraid I usually ramble.
Great advice, and it definitely still applies.
Thanks. Amazing how much has changed but the basics still say the same.
I think your still spot on, Mary.
Thanks for stopping by.
Timeless advice, Mary. We can never review these principles too many times! Thanks!
I’m surprised how relevant my old notes were. I’ll bet I gave this presentation in ’95 or something. Some things don’t change.
I agree with all your points. I printed the Post out so I’ll remind myself of them when I’m frustrated with this crazy business. Thanks for posting this.
Yeah, the business just gets crazier every year. But at least the basics stay the same. Thanks for stopping by.
All good advice.
Thanks for stopping by.
And, best of all, every single piece of advice is 100 percent within your control. 100. Percent. Great list.
Mary, as always, clear, concise, and informative. Twenty years and the advice is still valid. Crazy business this, but some things never change.